Process for the manufacture of expanded metal.



' H. SALMON. PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPANDED METAL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 1912.

1,043,733. Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

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' H. SALMON.

PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPANDED METAL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1912. 1,043,733. Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY SALMON, or WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND, AssIenoR TO EXPANDED METAL- COMPANY, LIMITED, or WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it ma. concern;

Be it known t at I, HARRY SALMON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at York Mansion, York street, in the city of Westminster, England, have invented an Improved Process for the Manufacture of Expanded Metal, of which the following is a specification.

According to this invention the sheet is first slit in the ordinary way thus dividing it into parallel strips connected by junctions of uncut metal. The slit sheet is then passed through rolls by which the strips are turned in pairs in the same direction to an angle to the plane of the sheet and at the same time holes are formedat the two edges of the sheet, Finally the sheet thus prepared is expanded by means of a pair of wheels revolving in opposite directions and provided with teeth which enter the holes, the axes of such wheels being arranged one above and the other below the plane of the sheet.

The drawings showa machine arranged to deal with a slit sheet consisting of eight parallel strips but it will be understood that the'machine can be readily adapted to deal with any width or thickness of sheet.

Figure 1 shows the slit'sheet. Fig. 2 is a plan of the rolls and wheels, and Fig. 3 is a sectionalelevation of Fig. 2, the gearing for driving the rolls and wheels is well understood and is not shown. Figs. 4 and 5 are end elevations of the expanding wheels showing the positions of the sheet at the commencement and terminationof the ex,- panding operation. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section showing to a larger scale half of each of the preparing rolls. Figs. 7 and 8 are elevations of the outer and inner portions-of the rolls (Fig; 6). Fig. 9 is a section similar to 6 on the lines 99, Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 10 shows the sheet after it has passed through the preparing rolls and before it has been expanded. Fig; 11 is a section on the line 1111, Fig. 10. Fig. 12 shows the expanded sheet and Fig. 13 is a section on the line 1313, Fig. 12. Figs. 14 to 19 show a modification. Figs. 14 and 15 are similar views to Figs. 6 and 7 Fig. 16 is a plan of the expanding wheels. Fig.

17 is a section of one of the teeth and Figs.

18 and 19 are side elevations of the cams operating the teeth.

a are the slitting rolls the details of which are well known and do not require any dey Patented Nov. 5, 1912. Application filed .Tune 15, 1912. Serial No. 703,948.

' scription. Each of the preparing rolls is" built up of four inner rolls 6 (which are conical in form and have notches c in them at regular intervals to receive the junctions of the slit sheet) and two outer rolls d.

The rolls (Z are also of conical form and the right hand lower roll, Fig 7 has notches e in it while the right hand upper roll is provided with teeth f engaging with the divided into parallel strips j connected. by

junctions 7c and Z, there being three junctions A: in a row and four junctions Z. The slit sheet travels on to the preparing rolls and in passing through them the junctions 7c are received in the notches c and are not materially acted on but the two strips j at the sides of these junctions are bent almost at right angles to the sheet by the teeth f as shown at Figs. 6 and 11. The junctions Z are acted on by the conical part of the rolls 6 and are turned to an angle to the plane of the sheet as shown at Flg. 9. The sheet thus prepared passes through the guide m, Fig. 3, on to the wheels 9, the

teeth it of which enter the holes formed asv as shown at. Fig. 5. The continued revolution of the wheels frees the teeth from the edges of the expanded sheet.

The modification shown at Figs. 14 to 19 is very similar, to that above described but in this case the teeth are on the sidefaces of the expanding wheels instead of on' their 0 more or lessifiatly on the polygonal wheels.

edges and the method of forming the holes at the edges of the prepared sheet is altered accordingly. The slitting rolls a and the conical rolls 1) are as before but the rolls d are replaced by corrugated rolls n, Figs.

14. and Y15, whose edges are parallel to their axes. These rolls bend the outer strips 7' at the twosides of the junctions k upward and downward respectively from the plane of the sheet, the planes of the strips and sheet" being parallel to each other as shown at 'Fig. 14. The teeth 0 of the expanding wheels p are notfixed to them but pass through them from side to side.

q are springs tending to draw the heads of the teeth .toward the wheels and 7' and s are stationary cam surfaces which force the teeth outward. The drawings. for simplicity only show a single tooth on each of the wheels pbut it'will be understood that they have teeth all around thenf at regular intervals like the wheels g. The cams r and 8 force the teeth 0 away from their wheels and cause them to engage with the holes at the edges. of the sheet as it comes out of the guide we. When the teeth are respectively vertically above and below the axes Y of their wheels they come to the ends of the cams and are suddenly withdrawnbytheir springs thus freeing the expanded sheet. By-varying the length of the cams so that,

the teeth are withdrawn somewhat sooner the amount of expansion can be regulated.

What I claim is 1. The method of making expanded metal consisting in dividing a sheet into parallel strips connected by junctions of uncut metal, turning the inside strips in pairs to an angle to the plane of the she fi, Separating the portions of the two edge strips between the unctions from the adjacent strips thus forming holes at the edges of the sheet and causin the holes to engage with teeth on a HARRY SALMON.

Witnesses T. HARRY TILLY, J r.,

J AS. T. NmHoLsoN. 

